The Sun, the Moon, and Maybe the Trains / Rodney Jones

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Author:

Rodney
Jones resides in Richmond, Indiana, where he spends his days pecking at
a laptop. His life-long ambition was to become an artist until he discovered
his affinity for writing. In writing, the words are creating images, the images
are telling a story, and the story evokes feelings. His other interests include
science, politics, travel, gardening, music, whiskey and chocolate.

Description:

It is 1875
and seventeen-year-old John Bartley is living along the Appalachian Trail in Vermont
when he suddenly finds himself in the year 2009.

What would
it take to convince you that the woods you just left is a hundred and
forty-four years distant from those you just entered? Fortunately, he comes
across an outspoken teenager, Tess McKinnon; to earn her trust John must prove
he is neither a liar nor a lunatic.

Appraisal:

The author
first introduces us to John and a couple of his friends in a scene that was reminiscent
of Little House on the Prairie or The Waltons. I found it engaging and
light-hearted, he also did a good job painting the scene and rounding out the
important characters in that period. I felt comfortable there.

The story
is in first person, so everything we know is through John’s eyes. When the time
shift first happens, as John is taking a wagon load of flour and grist over the
mountain to the general store in the next town, he parks the wagon to rest the
horses and wanders the woods. John’s confusion is evident as the scenery changes,
but he is able to find his way back, not having a clue what had happened. Back
home curiosity gets the best of him and on the next trip into town, he looks
for the same spot again. This time he is not able to find his horses and wagon,
so he heads back to town on foot. He comes across Tess as she is coming out of
her house and of course, she thinks he is a vagrant. I enjoyed the dialogue
between John and Tess as he was introduced to the wonders of the twenty first
century with locked doors, cars, cell phones, flashlights, and cameras. Hey, it
could happen! :) Well, it did in this story.

When Tess
makes her trip into the past, we get to experience her wonder at life in the 19th
century, and her distress at not being able to return to her own time. The
character driven plot takes a devastating twist when the sheriff arrives
looking for a runaway matching Tess’ description. Hold on tight for the last
quarter of the story, is packed with action and heart wrenching turmoil.

I also
enjoyed some of the old-fashioned turns of phrase as in “I’d knock you into a
cocked hat if there wasn’t a lady present”, “I reckon I did” and “Does anyone
have a hankerin’ for apple pie?” These were not over done and fit the context
of the story. I look forward to more from this author; he paints a beautiful,
intelligent, and original story. I truly enjoyed it.

Format/Typo Issues:

Review
based on an advanced reader copy so I can not evaluate this area.

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